An Introduction to Staff Development in Academic Libraries.

An Introduction to Staff Development in Academic Libraries. An Introduction to Staff Development in Academic Libraries ED. BY ELIZABETH CONNOR New York New York, state, United StatesNew York,Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of : Routledge, 2009. 234 pp. 65.00 [pounds sterling] hardcover ISBN ISBNabbr.International Standard Book NumberISBNInternational Standard Book NumberISBNn abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 9780789038449 Staff development is an essential component of a functioninglibrary workforce as employees need to be trained, motivated mo��ti��vate?tr.v. mo��ti��vat��ed, mo��ti��vat��ing, mo��ti��vatesTo provide with an incentive; move to action; impel.mo and kept upto date with new technologies. An Introduction to Staff Development inAcademic Libraries is designed to assist managers in designing, trainingand delivering courses for library staff using case studies as examplesof different types of programs. Each chapter is written by a different library professional withexperience in staff training. The book is edited by Elizabeth Connor,who has many years of experience as an academic and book review editor.While primarily an academic volume, this book is practical,straightforward and contains realistic case studies that would providevaluable ideas relevant to many library managers and supervisors. The volume has many motivating case studies to encourage managersand trainers in presentation, funding and evaluation of staff programmesfrom orientation, through customer service to technologybased program.This book describes a range of case studies from different academiclibraries, and the methods can be adapted for local areas. While some ofthe case studies are unique, there is enough variety and detail in eachexample to provide useful ideas for managers. The format of each chapterfollows a similar pattern. For example, Chapter 2, 'Improve YourCirculation', describes a small academic library suffering fromyears of poor funding, weak communication channels and staff generallyunsupervised and untrained. The situation is described, the objective ofa 10-year action plan created, methods employed, the problemsencountered, and the ultimate successful result of the process isexplained clearly. The inclusion of sample forms such as a CirculationAssistant Agreement to clarify the expectations of library staff ishelpful. While this particular situation required a long-term plan, someof the ideas could be applied to other libraries with less seriouscustomer service issues. This book is aimed at librarians and library managers who have arole in teaching, training and mentoring library staff in universitiesand colleges of advanced education. It is designed for practisingprofessionals as well as for academics in the fields of informationmanagement and librarianship; despite the fact that many of the casestudies are US-based, it is relevant to Europe and Australasia as wellas America. An Introduction to Staff Development in Academic Librariesis highly recommended for anyone looking for inspiration and advice increating, running and evaluating staff development programs for librarystaff. Kay Neville TAFE TAFE(in Australia) Technical and Further Education New South Wales New South Wales,state (1991 pop. 5,164,549), 309,443 sq mi (801,457 sq km), SE Australia. It is bounded on the E by the Pacific Ocean. Sydney is the capital. The other principal urban centers are Newcastle, Wagga Wagga, Lismore, Wollongong, and Broken Hill.